A nine-year-old boy was rescued alive after spending nearly five hours trapped inside a borewell in Butoli village in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, officials said early Tuesday.
Bhanu Gurjar fell into an open borewell on Monday evening while chasing a kite with other children. Although the borewell was reportedly nearly 400 feet deep, the boy became trapped at an estimated depth of 40 to 50 feet.
According to villagers, Bhanu was running across a field to retrieve a kite after it was cut during a kite-flying session when he stepped on a stone covering an old borewell. The stone shifted under his weight, causing him to fall inside.
The borewell had reportedly been unused for a long period and was covered only with a stone. With little activity in the field, residents were unaware of the potential danger posed by the open borewell.
Police and administrative authorities were alerted at around 6:30 p.m., following which rescue teams rushed to the site and began operations.
Teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) joined the effort. Two to three JCB machines were deployed to excavate the ground parallel to the borewell, while a larger excavation machine was brought in from Alwar to speed up the operation.
Rescuers maintained communication with the trapped child and supplied him with oxygen. At around 8:15 p.m., officials lowered water into the borewell in a vessel for Bhanu to drink. His voice was heard after he drank the water, raising hopes that he remained in stable condition.
The rescue operation was conducted under the supervision of ADGP Rupinder Singh and Commandant Revant Dan. District Collector Dr Artika Shukla, SDM Manisha Resham, Tehsildar Manish Kumar Sharma, DSP Narendra Kumar and other officials were also present at the site.
After nearly five hours of sustained rescue efforts, Bhanu was brought out safely at around 11 p.m., prompting cheers from people gathered at the scene.
Additional Superintendent of Police Priyanka Raghuvanshi said the boy appeared to be in good health and was conscious and able to speak after being rescued. He was subsequently taken to a nearby hospital for a precautionary medical examination.
The successful rescue brought an end to an anxious operation that had drawn the attention of villagers and emergency teams throughout the evening.
